The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-11
HAPPENINGS OF A NIGHT
WHAT A FOUNDER SAW IN ONE
NIGHTS WANDERINGS.


Joke on a Wearer of Good Clothes.
New York, Dec. 1O.-If you set out to
see New York on favorable night you will
behold enough to fill several chapters Of his
tory. There is never a night when the av-
enues of excitement are closed, but there are
times when the ordinarily busy places are
comparatively dull 1t was on one of the
favorable and brisk nights when a rounder,
accompanied by literary man, set out TO
see the familiar but always interesting spec
tacle of the metropolis. Their experiences
began at O'Clock. They met well-dressed,
convivial gentleman, who invited them to
well-known saloon to drink to many happy
returns of his birthday. 1t is place much
frequented by pugilists, cut reasonably or
derby. One one side OF the yoom hangs
picture of brutal Bill -Skyes the most for
bidding of all Dickens characters. At
table directly under the picture sat man
who looked all the world like the artists
CONCEPTION of Bill Sykes. He had a beety
neck and a brutal face. The well-dresSed
gentleman knew him and playfully stroked
his big head Sykes seemed TO take it in
good part, and the well-dressed gentleman
invited him to have drink. Sykes took 1t,
and then the rounder and literary man
urged the gentle Nlan to come with them. lie
started to 20 with them when Sykes, whom
drink seemed K. nave suddenly made crazy,
sprang up seized him by the collar and
threw him to the floor with terrible force.
Instantly he slhang up, threw off his coat
and prepared for fight Sykes, with the
remark: Pm bound to lick you before yon
leave this place." peeled his coat. The
? gentleman was slender, and Sykes would
>pr0bsbly have killed him if he had once be-
gun the assault on him. Friends stepped be-
tween them, and particularly brave man
led Sykes away The rounder and his com
panion W lied away and turned down Sixth
avenue. s'veral young Washers were
standing h front of the entrance to one of
the blocks on the avenue and ogling women
as they went by. A comedy, well-dresscd
young woman, accompanied by plainly
clad man in working clothes, walked along.
One of the Washers accosted her. Her
companion resented it and stepped up to the
masher with an angry lmprecatlon. The
masher, having friends with him was brave
and struck the plainly attired man. He hit
back and at once there was the livelleSt kind
of a fight. The woman who had been the
innocent cause of the trouble began to
scream A policeman dashed forward and
arrested the plainly dressed man, wereupon
the woman set up the cry: That's my hus-
bandl He didn't start the fight" Her
piercing screams could be heard blocks
the ronnder, who had observed the whole
affair, explained the case to the policeman,
he heSitated a moment and then arrested tho
masher as we'll as the husband and followed
by the wailing wife, led the way to the
nearest police station.
The roun. er and his companion made
their I--l to a well-known restaurant on
Broadway freouented by theatrical people
and men of al calling bent upon the en-
ioyment of life. One of the latter was an
ex-senator who is noted as a practical
Joker Beside him at table sat thea
ttical agent, the pride of whose life is a
splendid cape overcoat. The Senator had
the agents coat removed while he was not
looking and then excused himself a mo-
ment. AT the door of neighboring thea
tire he met a weakened little fellow who
works as Waterman in the house. He wore
cheap overcoat that would have been too
small for the average l2-year-old boy.
"What will y take for the use of that
coat for one h. re- asked the Senator.
The little fell,.w looked astonished but
concluded that it would be worth dollar.
His coat was worth no more than double
that sum. The Senator slyly hung the lit
tie coat in the place where the big agents
coat had been. Whe, they had finished
luncheon each put III his coat. The agent
reached for his in an absent-minded man
ner. When the waiter, who had been let
into the secret, attempted to help him on
with the threadbare garment and he dis
covered the SELL he lost his temper for
moment Then the owner of the coat
walked in and solemnly bore it away.
Everybody laughed and the agent con-
Guided it was well to do the same and turn
off the joke with bottle of wine. After
plaguing him an hour the Senator returned
his coat and the rounder and his COM
panion left. By this time it was after mid
night.
The rounder ordered a cabman to drive
him and his companion to the latter's lodg-
ings. The cabman was sturdy Irishman.
When his passengers had disembarked the
literary man recognized him as an old ac-
quaintance,
''Do YOU know asked the literary man,
''that your brother is dead!" They were in
"A saloon at the time, and the cabman was
about to take drink at his passengers ex-
pense He set down his drink untasted,
turned white and said
'Great heavens! is that soy'
The brothers had been enemies and had
not spoken for years. The cabman hest
tated a moment and then dashed out of the
saloon. He did not stop untilhe reac led the
house where his brother lay dead.
Watchers were beside the coffin in the
dlmly-lighted chamber of death, The
cabman, paying no heed to them, pushed his
way to the coffin where lay his brother.
Death had swept away the animosities of
years He bent over the dead man, stroked
his icy forehead and then, with a cry OF
anguish bent over and kissed the face of the
corpse. 1t was a CHASTITY scene. The
watchers, not knowing who he was, Strove
to remove him, but he pushed them aside
The widow and her children, attracted by
the noise, can~. in and eyed him coldly
The rounder and his companion who stood
with uncovered heads in the room went out
Ten minutes later the cabman, his honest
face stained with tears, mounted his vehicle
and ode away into the night.
This is great town" said the literary
man.
Eyes let's have another bottle,n ex-
claimed the rounder
They had it, and as the clock in a neigh
boring steeple was Ginning 3 they separated
to retire. They had seen little, If any,
more in variety than the average man about
town beholds of night.
AMOS J. CUMMINGS.